A city in China hosts an elaborate winter festival with giant ice castles, mass weddings, and a frigid swimming contest — take a look

Tourists visit illuminated ice sculptures during the opening day of 35th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival at the Harbin Ice and Snow World on January 5, 2019 in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province of China.
VCG/Getty

There's also an ice-swimming tournament in which swimmers brave the freezing waters of the Songhua river in sub-zero temperatures.

China's Heilongjiang Province isn't always a big destination for tourists, but when winter rolls around, the region rolls out the red carpet to millions of visitors from across the globe. The city of Harbin hosts one of the world's largest winter celebrations, called the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, which features painstakingly crafted ice sculptures and gargantuan snow statues.

The festival, which includes four separate theme parks, kicked off its 35th year on January 5 and runs until the end of February. Last year's attracted more than 18 million visitors, according to NBC News.

The festival's colored lights make the ice creations look even more striking, and each year weddings also take place there in abundance.

For those unable to travel to Harbin this winter (presumably that's most of us), take a look at these stunning images from the festival so far.

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The 2019 Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival's opening ceremony kicked off with fireworks on January 5.

Fireworks explode over the illuminated ice sculptures during the opening of 35th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, January 5, 2019.
VCG/Getty

Visitors can even ride ice bikes near the snow sculpture exposition in the Harbin Sun Island theme park.

The main snow sculpture at Harbin Sun Island Park is 108 feet tall and more than 325 feet long.

Other activities at the festival include ice-sailing, ice hockey, ice football, speed skating, skiing, and fishing. There are less snowy options, too, like calligraphy displays, painting and photo exhibitions, and performances of folk music and dance.

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The festival also has a tradition of mass wedding ceremonies.

Newlyweds hold a ceremony at the Harbin Sun Island park on December 31, 2018.
Tao Zhang/Getty

A record-breaking 47 couples bundled up to participate in a mass wedding ceremony during the festival this year. Proceedings took place in an ice castle constructed for the occasion.

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To help carve the festival's big snow sculptures, workers use cranes.

Workers carve snow sculptures at the Harbin Ice and Snow World during the opening day of the 35th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, January 5, 2019.
VCG/Getty

The festival's many sculptures are constructed over the course of several weeks.

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Other cranes help workers construct tall ice sculptures out of ice blocks.

Thousands of workers cooperate to ensure the sculptures come together in time for the festival's kick-off in the New Year.
Kevin Frayer/Getty

These sculptures wouldn't be possible without the raw materials, of course — most of the ice comes from the nearby Songhua River.

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In the weeks leading up to the festival, workers use a machine to cut usable ice blocks from the frozen river.

Workers use use a machine to cut large blocks of ice that will be used in the making of ice sculptures from the frozen Songhua River.
Kevin Frayer/Getty

They then use ice picks to pull those blocks out of the river.

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The ice blocks are then dragged to the festival site.

The festival's elaborate ice buildings and sculptures are made from blocks from the frozen Songhua River.
Kevin Frayer/Getty

Workers earn about $35 a day transporting ice to the nearby Harbin Ice and Snow World. Each ice block can weigh up to 1,500 pounds. By the start of the festival, these workers have transported nearly 200,000 cubic metres of ice in total.

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Workers use chainsaws to carve the ice into smooth building blocks for sculptures.

Blocks weighing up to 1,500 pounds each are sculpted to recreate architectural wonders.
Kevin Frayer/Getty

Most of the ice cutters are farmers from nearby villages. They start work before dawn in freezing cold temperatures, according to Getty photojournalist Kevin Frayer.

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One of the festival's major events is a swimming competition. Even though outdoor temperatures can sometimes be -30 degrees Fahrenheit, people dive into the frigid waters of the Songhua River.

A swimmer reacts before an ice-swimming competition during the annual ice festival,- in Harbin, China January 5, 2019.
Tyrone Siu/REUTERS

China's Heilongjiang Province borders Siberian Russia. But the freezing temperatures don't deter the hardcore swimmers who flock to a man-made pool carved into the Songhua river for an annual swimming contest.

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Men and women of all ages took the polar bear plunge on January 5.

Swimmers competed in an ice swimming contest in a pool carved from the frozen ice of the Songhua river during last year's Harbin Ice and Snow Festival.
Greg Baker/Getty

Hundreds of men and women in only swimwear, goggles, and swim caps took to the water, according to Reuters. The surrounding air temperature was just 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Much like a typical swim race, competitors jumped from starting blocks and competed in breast stroke and back stroke.

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Withstanding such frigid water takes practice. Swimmer Yu Hongtao told Reuters that he trained for months in advance of the festival's swimming tournament.

Participants swim in a pool carved out of the frozen Songhua River during an ice swimming competition as a part of the annual festival in Harbin, China, January 5, 2019.
Tyrone Siu/REUTERS

"You have to start swimming from autumn so that the body can conquer the sudden icy impact on one's cardio-vascular system," he said.

Winter swimming is something of a local sport in Harbin, and about 40% of those who do it are senior citizens, according to a Beijing Tourism Agency.